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Dev Update: That Little-Known Step

Maybe it’s a bad “Indie Dev” stereotype that I’ve learned, and maybe my observations are way off, but it seems as though the majority of indie developers try to avoid programming when they can. At least, that’s the impression I get from the people I follow on various social media sites.

I know I already have a leg up because I’ve been familiar with some of the ‘easier’ languages like HTML and JavaScript for years now (thanks to Gaia Online forums and Tumblr), and by proxy, I’m familiar with how pseudocode and most languages work at their core. I’ve also taken formal classes on HTML and JavaScript as well as Java, so I’ve got a leg up there. Now that I’m in what feels like a rather long summer vacation from my college courses, I’ve been struggling to find a decent way to introduce myself to either C++ or C# in order to get ahead in future courses and be more comfortable with programs like Unity. A few weeks back, a friend of mine introduced me to SoloLearn.

Now, I’m not cool enough or well-known enough to have SoloLearn sponsor me, but I know that some of the people that follow me either here or on social media have an interest in game development or programming. I want to share this knowledge with you.

SoloLearn is a free app for Android and iOS, and it gives you, the user, access to DuoLingo-style courses through the programming languages. I’ve worked through the Java course already (as a refresher) and I’m about halfway through the C++ module. I mostly run through them on my breaks at VidyaPlace, but each module in the course takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and it’s only taken me a few weeks to get through one and a half courses. The information is laid out plainly, and after each topic page there’s a short quiz (usually fewer than 5 parts) just to reinforce the page.

Going through SoloLearn has been fun so far, and treats the programming language like a spoken language in a lot of ways. It’s fun to use and free to try, and I feel like I’m actually learning the language as I go through the modules.

If you’re trying to learn or review a programming language, I highly recommend you try SoloLearn.